AAA Highlights Traffic Safety Improvements Funded by Recovery Law

February 16, 2010

On the one-year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, AAA applauds investment in transportation upgrades designed to save lives

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — AAA, the nation’s largest motoring organization, is marking the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) by highlighting safety-enhancing road improvements funded by the law. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) received $26.6 billion through ARRA for highway projects, some of which was eligible for safety upgrades.

“Motorists and other transportation system users have received a direct safety benefit from the money provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet. “Recovery funds dedicated to transportation allowed states and localities to install proven, cost-effective roadway safety improvements such as rumble strips, median barriers and roundabouts. These low-cost, easy-to-install countermeasures will help prevent vehicles from drifting out of travel lanes and reduce crashes at intersections.”

“ARRA funds have not only put Americans back to work, but the improvements made to America’s roads have saved lives,” said FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez. “As part of the more than $26 billion for highway and bridge construction and repair projects nationwide, we’ve invested more than a billion dollars specifically for safety and operational improvements to help protect drivers, which is our top priority.”

Examples of ARRA safety investments include:

States including Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington have all completed projects installing rumble strips to facilitate safer roadway travel. Each year, 25,000 deaths are attributed to road departure crashes. Rumble strips serve as a life-saving alert to drivers who unintentionally leave their lane.

Indiana has instituted a comprehensive median barrier deployment program with its ARRA funds and installed 75 miles of cable barriers on Interstate routes. Safety barriers prevent crossover median crashes and fatalities by over 80 percent.

States including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan and North Carolina have constructed roundabouts with ARRA funds. Roundabouts have demonstrated substantial safety benefits with reductions in fatal and injury crashes ranging from 60-87 percent.

As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.

AAA news releases, high resolution images, broadcast-quality video, fact sheets and podcasts are available on the AAA NewsRoom at AAA.com/news.